Shoe for expanding horses  hoofs



(No Model.)

G. F. ALTOFT.

SHOE FOR EXPANDING HORSES No. 488,535. Patented Dec. 27, 1892'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. ALTOFT, OF CARLTON, MICHIGAN.

SHOE FOR EXPANDING HORSES HOOFS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,535, dated December 27, 1892.

Application filed April 22, 1892. Serial No. (N0 modem To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. ALTOFT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Carlton, (post-office address Hastings,) county of Barry, and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Shoe for ExpandingHorses Hoofs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of horse shoes which are capable of being expanded laterally while attached to the foot of a horse, for the purpose of spreading said foot.

The object of this invention is to increase the utility and facilitate the operation, by means of a construction in which the sides of the shoe, which bear the nail holes, are pivotally attached at the forward end to the toe piece, so as to be swunginward and outward, and in which certain expanding means are employed; all as more fully described and claimed below.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a plan view and Fig. 2-is a sectional elevation on line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the lettered parts of the drawings, A A are the sides of the shoe, which bear the nail holes, which sides are pivotally attached atff to atoe piece, B, Fig. 1, so that they may beswung inward or outward on said pivotal connections. The toe piece, B, is provided with a screw threaded hole, into which is screwed a threaded rod, 1), so as to be adjustable lengthwise therein. This screw threaded rod, 1;, is provided with a wrench seat, 2', rigidly attached thereto. The end of the rod 1; projects inwardly from the wrench seat 2', and to said inwardly projecting end is attached in a swiveled manner a block, 6. To the sides of this block, 6, are pivotally attached the forward ends of the spreading-rods, c, which rods extend rearward, diverging to the inner edge of the sides, A, of the shoe. The rear ends of these spreading-rods, c, are adapted to enter one of a series of holes, 8, in the inner edge of the sides, A, of the shoe.

The object of having more than one hole,

8, in each side, A, of the shoe, is so as to more accurately adjust the shoe in accordance with the width of the foot to which it is to be attached.

Of course it will be understood that the object of spreading a horses foot is to cure lameness.

By means of this invention, the operator, by means of a wrench placed on the wrench seat can bring a gentle expanding pressure on the sides of the shoe by turning the threaded rod, 1;, partially out of the toe piece, which operation can be repeated as often as practicable, until the foot shall have become sufficiently expanded.

The shoe is light and simple and none of the expandingmeans are in the Way or in sight when the shoe is on the foot.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. An expansible horse shoe, comprising a toe piece, the side members pivotally attached thereto, a screw threaded adjusting rod in 70 said toe picce,and the rearwardlyextending, diverging spreading-rods, pivotally attached in a swiveled manner to said adjusting rod; substantially as set forth.

2. An expansible horse shoe, comprising a toe piece, the side members pivotally attached thereto and having the holes in the inner edge, a screw threaded adjusting rod in said toe piece, said threaded rod being provided with a wrench seat, a block swiveled to the inner end of said threaded rod, and the spreading-rods pivotally attached at one end to the swiveled block and adapted at the other end to enter the holes in the inner edges of the side members ;substantially as set forth.

In testimony to the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

GEO. F. ALTOFT.

Witnosses:

NICHOLAS A. VYNE, NEWTON G. LESLIE. 

